Broken Mirror
by The-Moonlit-Muse
Summary: With every step she took, Azula tumbled further into madness.


**I absolutely love Azula. She is one of my favourite characters and the best villain ever.**

 **Disclaimer: I am currently writing this on an old school computer that is bound to break down any minute. Does it sound like I own Avatar: The Last Air Bender to you?**

In many ways, Azula is like a snake- quick, cunning and deadly. In other ways, she is like a rose- beautiful and elegant yet her thorns still prick if you are not careful. Despite all this, Azula is still human. Her mind is like a mirror, fragile and breakable. Sooner or later, the glass will start to crack.

* * *

"Get out of that tree Zuko!" Her mother scolded lightly.

Azula's eyes narrowed slightly. The tone her mother used is different from the one she uses with her daughter. It's more gentle and fond whereas the tone for Azula is often harsh and annoyed.

The young prodigy couldn't help the small scowl that blossomed on her face. Her mother can say all she wants; it's obvious who her favourite is.

The young boy laughed and jumped from the tree, nearly giving his mother a heart attack. "You'll break your leg one day." She didn't even try and hide the concern in her eyes.

 _When that day comes, I'll be happy and gloating._

"I'm a big boy now mum."

 _Funny how big boy still needs to sleep with his mother when he has nightmares and is still afraid of the dark. Don't even get me started on wetting the bed._ She snickered quietly to herself. No one noticed.

"I've been working on my fire bending. Do you want to see?"

Ursa smiled at the eager look on her son's face. "Go ahead."

 _This should be a laugh._ She peeked out a bit more from where she was watching behind a bush.

Zuko stood up, back straight and his hands were covered in fire. He flipped himself in the air, fire balls shooting out of his hands. They were small and pathetic and his backflips could use a lot more work. Azula watched as he slipped halfway through and landed on his back. "Sorry ZuZu, but they're nothing compared to mine."

Ursa gasped and rushed forward. "Zuko are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Funny. Ursa never reacted that way when it came to her. Not that she needed it. She wasn't a pathetic loser who couldn't even produce average sized fireballs. Standing up, Azula slipped away from where she was hiding.

The first crack appeared.

* * *

"Faster Azula! Faster!"

Her breath was harsh and quick and her eyes widened as fire shot out towards her. She jumped back, stumbling slightly on the ice. Her head snapped up and before she knew it, her father was throwing punch after punch at her. She could barely block them. The seven year old was sent sprawling, her head hitting the cold ice. Groaning, she sat up.

"You stumbled Azula and your fire bending was weaker." Her golden eyes met her father's stern ones.

"I apologise father but it is snowing and the sun isn't even out. My fire bending is bound to be weak." She anxiously waited for her father's reply.

"Not if you train." He calmly replied. He raised his hand and the biggest burst of fire Azula had ever seen shot out. "Only those who are truly weak will not try to go beyond their limits." He took in the shivering form of his daughter. "Go away, rest and we will train tomorrow."

Dejected, the girl slowly stood up and started heading away.

"You might as well get used to this. I would hate to think that you are fated to become a failure." His tone suddenly turned icy. "After all, you know what happens to those who fail."

 _There is no point in keeping them around._ "There is no room for failure. They will only get replaced by those who are efficient and meet standards. Failures bring dishonour and shame."

"Very good. You are my daughter Azula; however blood doesn't matter when it comes to those who must be disposed of."

 _He wouldn't._ She unconsciously shivered as she watched her father walk away. _Yes, he would._

Many cracks appeared that day. Few were noticeable.

* * *

"Fire lord Azulon?" She couldn't help but laugh. "Can't you just call him grandfather? He's not exactly the powerful Fire Lord he used to be. Someone will probably end up taking his place soon."

Her mother's expression turned stern. "Young lady! Not. Another. Word."

Azula giggled slightly as she ran out the room. She didn't miss Ursa's next few words though.

"What is wrong with that child?"

 _Nothing is wrong with me. You're just a bad mother._

* * *

Azula hugged herself tightly. _Monster… Monster…Monster…Monster._

The word echoed through her head like a never ending grandfather clock. No matter how much you tried, you couldn't ignore it.

 _I'm not a monster. You just don't understand me._

Under the cover of the night, a piece of herself fell and broke. As long as the rest of her was intact, however, she could still be used.

* * *

She silently watched as her "friends" were led away. "Traitors." She hissed under her breath. They could rot for all she cared. She tried to ignore the way her chest suddenly constricted and the way her breathing had suddenly quickened. It felt like that day on the ice. Except this time, she had no fear and there wasn't even the slightest chance of failing.

Her eyes travelled to the traitorous scum. A sneer was on her lips. She didn't need them. She didn't need anyone.

Many pieces fell off. Her friends had stolen them and then destroyed them.

* * *

"I love you." Her mother whispered.

A tear ran down her face. Her hand reached for the first thing she could find. A hairbrush. With a yell, she threw it and the mirror broke- it shattered into a million pieces.

When that mirror shattered, so did her sanity.

* * *

Azula had always been walking on a thin line between sanity and insanity. With every step she had taken, she had been tumbling further and further into madness.

Finally she broke. She had shattered and there was no one to pick up the pieces and fix her. She would be replaced just like a broken mirror. No one wanted to put the pieces back when you could just buy another one. No one wanted to keep it either. After all…

Who wanted a broken mirror?

* * *

 **I know it might not make much sense but I really don't know how to write things like this but the idea has been bugging me for ages. I'll let you interpret it as you like. Leave a review. Hope you liked it.**


End file.
